Jay Fiondella dies at 82

November 10, 2008 Jay Fiondella, the colorful owner of the Chez Jay restaurant, a celebrity hangout in Santa Monica for nearly five decades, died Nov. 6 after a long battle with Parkinson's disease. Fiondella's tiny restaurant on Ocean Avenue was frequented by an endless list of showbiz icons, many of whom were Fiondella's pals, including Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland, Marlon Brando, Lee Marvin, Robert Stack, Natalie Wood, Warren Beatty, Elizabeth Taylor, Johnny Carson, Nancy Sinatra, Clint Eastwood, Michelle Pfeiffer, Mel Gibson, Jerry Seinfeld, Sean Penn and Drew Barrymore. Fiondella forbade any photographers, reporters or autograph seekers from staking out his place.

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